Cigar-molding machine



W. E. JENKINS.

CIGAR MOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 26, 1909.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

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WWEK UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. JENKINS, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO CHARLES A. KOPIE, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

CIGAR-MOLDING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. JENKINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cigar- Molding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cigar molding machines.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for molding cigar bunches, which will be cheap to manufacture, eflicient and economical in operation and which will permit the free use of the operators hands for forming another bunch or applying a wrap per to a molded bunch.

The novel features of my invention are hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrative of the preferred form of my invention-Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view, taken on the dotted line ab of Fig. 1, the mold members being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the dotted line c-cl of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the dotted line e--f of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical, sectional view of the upper mold member and parts connected therewith.

Similar reference characters denote similar parts.

1 denotes a horizontal platform or bench on which is mounted a vertical support 2, of any suitable conformation, in which is vertically reciprocative a plunger 3, which is preferably of inverted U-form, the longer vertical arm of which extends through the platform 1 and has pivoted to its lower end the upper end of a rod 4, the lower end of which is pivoted to the upper end of a pedal 5, the lower end of which is pivoted to the floor or other suitable support by a hinge 6.

Supported on the platform 1 is a block 7, on which is mounted a horizontal plate 7, to which is secured the horizontal portion of a right-angled plate 8, which is provided with holes 9, through which extend screws 10, by which the plate 8 is secured to the plate 7 A similar right angled plate 11 is similarly provided with holes 9, in which are mounted screws 10, to secure the plate 11 to the plate 7. Intermediate the vertical Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 26, 1909.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912.

Serial No. 524,612.

portions of the plates 8 and 11 is mounted the lower mold member 12, which is releasably secured in position by means of screws 13, which extend through the vertical portion of the plate 11. The lower mold member 12 is provided with a vertically movable bottom portion 14, which serves as an ejector for removing the molded bunch from the member 12. Cooperating with the mold member 12 is the upper mold member 15 which is removably secured between two plates 16 and 17, mounted on a block 18, which is attached to a cap 19, mounted upon the lower end of the short arm of the plunger 3. The plunger 3 may be screw threaded, as may be the cap 19. The cap may be retained in its position by means of the set screw 20 which extends therethrough and bears against the plunger 3.

A vertical rod 21 extends through the block 7 and platform 1 and has its upper end secured to the removable bottom portion 14. The lower end of the rod 21 is disposed so as to be struck and lifted by means of a horizontal bar 22, which encircles the long arm of the plunger 3, below the platform 1, to which arm the bar 22 is clamped by means of a bolt 23, which extends through the two parallel portions of the bar 22. The bolt 23 has mounted on it a nut 24 which by turning in the proper direction will cause the bar 22 to be tightly clamped around the plunger 3. By loosening .th nut 24 the bar 22 may be adjusted to any desired position on the plunger 3. WVhen a bunch is formed by hand it is placed in the mold member 12, after which the pedal 5 is depressed so as to bring the mold member 15 into cooperative relation with the mold member 12. When the parts are so positioned the bunch will be squeezed into proper shape in the lower mold member in which condition it is desirable to retain it until the operator forms another bunch and wraps the preceding bunch.

To releasably retain the plunger in the depressed position with the mold members 12 and 15 engaged with each other, the following described mechanism is preferably provided :An upwardly extending foot lever 25, projects through an opening 26 in the pedal 5 and has its lower end pivoted to the upper end of the post 27 secured to the floor. In the edge of the lever 25, adjacent to the hinge 6, is provided a notch 28,

adapted to receive a horizontal pin 29, mounted in the pedal 5, when the plunger 3 is forced to the lower position. A coil spring 30 has one end secured to the lever 25 and the other end to the pedal 5 for the purpose of swinging the lever 25 to a position in which the pin 29 will enter the notch 28 and hold the pedal in the de pressed position.

Means are provided for moving the plungcr upward. Preferably for this purpose I provide a coil spring 31 which encircles the long arm of the plunger 3 and has its lower end secured to said plunger and its upper end to a horizontal bolt 32, which may be mounted in any one of a plurality of holes 33, disposed one above the other, in a vertical bar E l, the upper end. of which is secured to the lower side of the platform 1. By varying the position of the bolt 82 the tension of the spring 31 n'iay be varied.

When the lever 25 has been released from the pin 29 the spring 31 will force the plunger 3 upward,thereby raising the mold member 15 above the mold member 12. In moving upward the plunger 3 will cause the bar 22 to strike the rod 21 and cause the said rod and movable bottom portion A to be moved upward to positions in which the formed bunch will be ected from the mold member 12. After the bunch has been ejected it is desirable that the ejector or movable bottom portion 14- shall again assume its position in the bottom of the mold member 12, as shown in Fig. 4C. To effect this means are provided for downwardly moving the plunger 3 from its uppermost position to one in which the bar 22 will permit the movable portion 14 to assume its lowermost position, and at the same time will not force the plunger down far enough so as to engage the mold member 15 with the lower mold mem ber 12. To ejt' ect this function 1 preferably provide yieldillg means comprising a coil spring 35, which encircles the shorter arm of the plunger 3 and has its lower end bearing against the cap 19 and its upper end against the support 2.

In operating the invention the bunch to be formed is placed in the lower mold member 12. The pedal 5 is then depressed by the operators foot to a position in which it will be held locked by the lever At this time the upper mold member 15 will. compress the bunch. W hen the lever 25 has been re leased by the operators foot from the pedal 5 the spring 31 will force the plunger 3 up ward, thereby operating the ejecting mechanism to eject the formed bunch. 'lhe pl1m ger 3 by reason of its 1110111611tt11'l1, due to the action of the spring 31, will cause the cap 19 to compress the coil spring 35, which, when the momentum of the plunger has been overcome will force the plunger 3 downward to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which position. the pressures exerted by the springs 31 and will be equal. In this position the movable bottom portion 14 will be in its lowermost position, as shown in Fig. 4t. The mechanism is now in position for forming another bunch.

I do not limit my invention to the struc ture herein shown and described, as various modifications of it, within the scope of the appended claim, may be made without departing from its spirit.

Having thus described my inventioinwliat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In cigar molding machines, the combination with two cooperating mold members, of a plunger carrying one of said members, a spring for moving the plunger in one direction, means of adjustment by which the tension of said. spring may be changed, a spring for limiting the movement of the plunger in said direction and operating against the other spring, means for moving the plunger in the opposite direction, bunch ejecting means cooperating with one of the mold members, and means adjustable lengthwise of the plunger for actuating the bunch ejecting means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lVlLLIAh l E. JENKINS. lVitnesses E. B. HOUSE, E. E. PARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C. 

